Warp stop motion for looms



Dec. 31, 1929. R. G, TURNER 1,741,219

WAR? STOP MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed Jah. 50. v1928 P -R J- A Id J4 Patented Dec. 31, 1929 rice PATENT RICHARD' Gr. TURNER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON 8v KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPBATO'N OF MASSACHUSETTS WARP STOP MOTION FOR LOOMS Application Ied January 30, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements in warp stop motions for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a motion of this type employing a ilexible actuator which may be moved from normal to abnormal position by the weight of a fallen drop wire.

In warp stop motions it is customary to provide one or more banks of drop wires which cooperate with some form of elongated member extending transversely of the warp threads and either' through or adjacent the drop wires to co-act with the latter to stop the loom. Certain loom sides or frames are so constructed as to render inconvenient the placing of the aforesaid elongated members and it is an important object of my present invention to provide a flexible actuator which may be inserted through slots in the drop 2O wires without reference to the shape or locatation of the loom frames.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide a flexible element held normally taut by 011e of a pair of electrical con- 2* tacts, the weight of a fallen drop wire being su'tlicient to draw the two members of the pair together to close an electric circuit and thereby stop the loom. Y

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my

invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown an embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of portions of a loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a top plan View taken in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1 and showing the loom in running position,

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line 4 4: of Fig. 3, parts being removed for the sake of clearness, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 5 5 of Fig. L1 showing the drop wire in normal or running position.

r Referring to the drawings I have shown "o a loom frame 10 having a warp beam 11 sup- Serial No. 250,416.

ported by gudgeons 12 which extend into open bearings 13 formed on the loom frame. A whip roll or warp guide 14 is supported by the loom frame and is normally under the sheet of warp threads WV which are supplied by the warp beam 11.

A shipper handle 15 having the lower por tion thereof formed of resilient material is secured to the loom frame by boltslG and has the upper portion thereof provided with a flattened part 17 positioned to move in a slot 1S formed in a stand 19 secured to the loom frame as shown in Fig. 1. A notch 2O located at the inner end of the slot 18 receives the portion 17 of the shipper handle when the loom is in operation. 'Ihe matter thus far described is common construction, being employed more particularly for gingham looms.

My invention is dependent for its operation upon the movement of a controlling member at the time a drop wire falls and in order to show one means for effecting stoppage of the loom I have set forth an electrical motion including an electro-magnet 30 and a lever 31. The long arm of said lever as shown in Fig. 2 lies behind the portion 17 of the shipper handle when the latter is in running position while the short arm .32 of the lever extends into the field of influence of the electro-magnet to be actuated by the latter. The lever is pivoted on a vertical ixed stud 33 and is limited as to angularv movement by a pin Slsecured to the loom frame. One pole of a battery P is connected to the electro-magnet by wire 35 while the other pole is connected to a wire 36. The' electro-magnet has extending therefrom a wire 37 which at the time of warp fault is electrically connected to wire 36 so that the battery l? under these conditions may energize the electro-magnet to causev right hand angular movement of the lever 31. The portion 17 of the shipper handle will thereupon be moved out of the notch 2O and the inherent resilience of the lower part of the shipper handle will move the latter to the left from the position shown in Fig. 1. Such a movement effects stoppage of the loom by well-known means and it is not thought necessary to disclose herein how movement of the shipper handle operates to stop the loom. The electrical device set forth herein is given merely as one means of stopping the loom when an electric circuit is closed by a fallen drop wire and forms no part of my present invention.

My invention relates more particularly to the means for electrically connecting wires 36 and 37 at the time a drop wire falls. In carrying my invention into effect I provide the right and left hand sides of the looms as viewed in Fig. 2 with brackets 4() and 41, respectively, each of said brackets being formed to support separator bars 42, two of which are shown herein. The upper portion of the right hand bracket 40 has adjustably secured thereto a screw eye 43 held in adjusted position with respect to the bracket 40 by means of nut 43a. Secured to said eye is a flexible cord member 44 which extends above and is disposed preferably between said bars 42.

The left hand bracket 41 has secured thereto a spring contact member 45, the lower end of which is secured to the bracket 41 by bolt 46. The upper end of' said spring member is provided with a contact 47 which is normally held spaced from a second contact member 48 by reason of the natural resilience of the spring member 45. Said Contact 48 is separated from the bracket 41 by means of an insulator 49 which provides means for holding the contact strip in fixed position but electrically 'disconnected from the loom. The lower end of the Contact member 45 is connected to wire 36 while the second contact member 48 is electrically connected to wire 37. c

I provide a plurality of drop wires 50 in the upper portion of each of which is a slot 51, and the drop wires are located between the bars 42 and thereby held against advance movement with the warp as the latter moves forward in the loom. The lower end of each drop wire is formed with a slot 52 so that the drop wire may be supported by the corresponding warp thread l/V. The flexible member 44 extends through the slots 51.

In operation the s ring member 45 will operate to hold the fexible element 44 substantially taut to assume the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4 with the contact 47 spaced from the contact 48. So long as this condition continues wires 36 and 37 will be disconnected from each other. When a warp thread breaks, however, the corresponding drop wire will fall'and by its weight will cause a deflection in the flexible member so that the latter will move from the dotted to the full line position shown in Fig. 4. The effect of this is to move the contact 47 to the right as viewed in Fig. 4 against the action of the spring member 45 until the two contacts 47 and 48 are in electrical engagement with each other, at which time current will flow from the battery P through wire 35 to electro-magnet 30, from the latter through wire 37 to contact 48 and from the latter through the contact 47, contact spring 45 and wire 36 back to the battery I). Energization of this circuit will cause a movement of the lever 31 as previously described to effect stopping of the loom.

As previously stated I do not wish to be limited to the particular loom stopping means which is brought into action by the change in the shape of the flexible member 44.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple warp stop motion wherein the part which cooperates with the drop wires is flexible and may be extended through the drop wires without reference to the .shape or location of the loom frame. It will `further be seen that the natural resilience of the contact spring 45 is sufficient to hold the cord 44 taut but that the weight of' a single drop wire will be sufficient to deflect the flexible cord until the contacts 47 and 48 are in electrical engagement with cach other. i It will further be seen that the bars 42 which position the drop wires relatively to the flexible cord 44 are carried by the same frame which supports said cord so that movement of the bars is accompanied simultaneously by a corresponding movement of the cord. One advantage of the flexible element 44 in connection with a drop wire is that by a quick tightening of said flexible clement from the full line to the dotted line position the fallen drop wire will be given an upward movement to an indicating position. This feature is not specifically claimed herein as it has been set forth in my co-pending application Ser. No. 241,673 and it is mentioned here as setting forth an advantage to be derived in the use of' the flexible cord 44 in connection with the movement of contact member 47.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to 4be limited to the-details herein disclosed, but

what I claim is:

1. In a warp stop motion, a bank of drop wires normally supported by the warp, a loom stopping mechanism, a flexible element extending under and positioned for direct engagement with a portion of each drop wire and normally out of contact with said portion of the drop wire, and means to actuate the stopping mechanism when a drop wire falls on said element and by its weight causes a deflection in said element, the drop wire being free to fall by gravity unobstructively against the flexible element so that the total gravit-ational pull on the fallen drop wire is exerted on the flexible element.

2. In a warp stop motion, a bank Aof drop Cil CTI

Wires normally supported by the Warp, a loom stopping mechanism, said drop Wires having slots therein, a flexible element extending through the slots of the drop Wires and positioned for direct engagement there- With and normally held taut, and means operatively connectedto said flexible member to actuate the stopping mechanism, said means being brought into action by a deflection in the shape ofthe flexible member due to the Weight of a fallen drop Wire resting on said flexible member.

3. In a Warp stop motion, a bank or" drop Wires, a flexible element normally assuming a given position, said flexible member extending under and positioned for direct engage-A ment with a portion of each of the drop Wires, a drop Wire corresponding to a broken Warp thread falling on the flexible member to give the same a different shape from its normal form, and means to stop the loom When said flexible member has the shape thereof changed when supporting a fallen drop Wire, the drop Wire being free to fall by gravity unobstrnctively against the flexible element so that the tot-al gravitational pull on the fallen drop Wire is exerted on the flexible element.

4l. In a Warp stop motion, a bank of drop Wires, each having a slot in the upper portion thereof, a flexible element extending through the slots Vof the drop Wires and assuming a given contour under normal conditions, a drop Wire when unsupported by the correspending thread falling to engage and cause the flexible member to assume a different contour, and means to stop the loom When the contour of the flexible member is changed when supporting a fallen drop Wire.

5. In a Warp stop motion for looms, a bank of drop Wires, a pair of spaced guide bars be .veen Which the bank of drop Wires is located, a flexible element normally assuming a given contour and extending under and positioned for direct engagement With a portion of each drop Wire, and means to stop the loom When a drop Wire corresponding to a broken Warp thread falls on said flexible member to change the contour thereof, the drop Wire being free to fall by gravity nnobstructively against the flexible element so that the total gravitational mll on the fallen drop Wire is exerted on the flexible element.

6. In a Warp stop motion for looms, a bank of drop Wires, a pair of spaced guide bars between which the bank of drop Wires is located, a flexible element normally assuming a given contour and extending under and positioned for direct engagement with a portion of each drop Wire, means to stop the loom when a drop Wire corresponding to a broken Warp thread falls on said flexible member to change the contour thereof, and common supports for the flexible member and the guide bars, the drop Wire being free to fall by gravity unobstructively against the flexible element so that the total gravitational pull on the fallen dropivire is exerted on the flexible element.

7. In a Wal'p stop motion for looms, a bank of drop Wires, a pair of spaced guide bars bctween which the bank of drop Wires is located, a flexible element normally assuming a given contour and extending under and positioned for direct engagement with a portion of eachv drop Wire, means to stop the loom When a drop Wire corresponding to a broken Warp thread falls on said flexible member to change the contour thereof, and a bracket for each side ot the loom, each bracket supporting one end of each of the guide bars and the adjacent end of the flexible member, the drop Wire being free to fall by gravity unobstructively against the flexible element so that the total gravitational pull on the fallen drop Wire is exerted on the flexible element.

8. In a vvarp stop motion for looms, a bank of drop Wires each having a slot therein, a pair ol guide bars to align said drop Wires transversely of the loom, a flexible element extending through the slots of the drop Wires and positioned for direct engagement therewith and normally assuming a given contour, a pair of devices to be moved relatively to each other and normally separated, the flexible element being operatively connected to one of said devices, and means to stop the loom when said devices are caused to move toward each other, the Weight of a fallen drop Wire on the flexible member causing a change in the contour of said flexible member to cause one device to move toward the other.

9. In a Warp stop motion for looms, a bank of drop wires, a pair of spaced guide bars between which the drop Wires lie, a flexible cord normally assuming a given contour and lying under and positioned for direct engagement with a portion of each drop Wire, a pair of relatively movable devices normally assuming a given position when the flexible cord has the given contour, the Weight of a drop Wire which has fallen due to a break in the correspondinging Warp thread producing a change in the contour of the exible cord and causing relative movement to said devices so that they assume a diderent position with respect to each other, and means to stop the loom when said devices move to assume some position other than the said given position.

10. In a Warp stop motion for looms, a bank of drop Wires, a flexible cord lying under and positioned for direct engagement With a portion of each of the drop Wires, stopping mechanism including an electric circuit having tWo relatively movable contact members which are normally separated, the cord being connected to one of the' contact members, the Weight of a fallen drop vvire due to the breaking of the corresponding Warp thread when resting on the flexible cord causing the latter to assume a different contour from the given contour to cause said contact members to be electrically connected.

11. In a warp stop motion for looms, a bracket on each side of the loom, a pair of spaced guide bars supported by the brackets, a bank of drop wires located between the guide bars, a flexible element extending between and supported by the brackets and extending normally under and positioned for direct engagement with a portion of each drop wire, and means to stop the loom when a drop wire falls on said flexible element to move the latter to a position below the norm al position thereof, the drop wire being free to fall by gravity unobstructively against the iexible element so that the total gravitational pull on the fallen drop wire is exerted on the flexible element.

l2.' In a warp stop motion for looms, a bank of drop wires normally lield in raised position by the warp threads, a flexible element normally assuming a given raised position and extending under and positioned for direct engagement with a portion of each drop wire, and means to stop the loom when a dropwire unsupported by the corresponding warp thread falls on said flexible element and moves the same to a position below the. normally raised position thereof, the drop wire being free to fall by gravity unobstrue tively against the fiexible element so that the total gravitational pull on the fallen drop wire is exerted on the flexible element.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

RICHARD G. TURNER. 

